1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a guide block for an automatically operated knife, and in particular to a guide block for use with a Gerber cutter.
2. Prior Art
A Gerber cutter, so-called because it is manufactured by Gerber Garment Technology, Inc., is a cutting machine, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,701, for cutting fabric material. FIG. 1 shows the cutting blade 10 and associated mounting structure of the Gerber cutter disclosed in the noted patent. The cutting blade 10 is driven by a reciprocating drive linkage 12. The cutting blade 10 passes through a roller guide 14 mounted to a presser foot 16. The roller guide 14 includes a housing 18 which houses two sets of rollers 20,22 and 24,26, as well as a roller 28 (FIG. 2). The cutting blade passes through the two sets of rollers 20,22 and 24,26 and engages roller 28 with its flat rear surface.
The rollers 20,22; 24,26 and 28 serve to more accurately control the positioning of the blade during cutting.